Order Up: Our 2022 Food Trend Predictions

Author: Angelique Alexos

The new year is here in full swing with a bevy of predictions for food trends that will rise (or continue to rise) to popularity in 2022, from a simplified restaurant atmosphere to lab-grown meat products. Like the New Year’s resolutions that by now have been created, revised, and perhaps already forgotten, new food trends are constantly being reimagined and explored. Over the course of the past couple months, it seems like every food-related website and food aficionado has given their best guess for the prevailing food trends of 2022. Now it’s Bite’s turn to give our predictions for this year.

A Changing Gastronomical Atmosphere

Virtue Restaurant (Source: Eater)

The pandemic and the increasingly fast pace of modern life are currently shaping the structure and organization of menus and the restaurant atmosphere. Looking for ways to impress guests without overwhelming them, restaurants will move towards more simplified menus, meaning a fewer amount of dishes that put more focus on local, quality products. Several leading chefs quoted in a Forbes magazine article on food predictions, for example, also highlight the importance of comfort food in the new culinary landscape. Because food plays such a role in our best memories and experiences, chefs will work to enhance those familiar flavors and dishes with their own flair. For example, Maneet Chauhan, one of the quoted chefs and founder of Morph Hospitality in Nashville, Tennessee, says, “People have leaned into comfort foods, and I see that continuing through 2022…but I envision chefs taking it up a notch and adding a reimagined take on our favorite comfort classics.” 

A Chicago-based example is Virtue in Hyde Park, which serves Southern comfort classics including cornbread, mac and cheese, and shrimp and grits. We’re quite fond of the way their dishes combine both familiar and modern flavors; check out our review of the restaurant as well as our article on Virtue’s support of local communities. 

Additionally, some predict that restaurants will continue to respond to diners’ growing interest in plant-based meals. Already, restaurants have begun shifting their dishes to incorporate seasonal produce, and it’s become more common to see at least one or two vegan options on menus. With a greater attention being placed on our environmental impact, restaurants will have to adapt as people focus on adding more plants to their meals. 

It will also become more common to see pop-up restaurants, which have become increasingly popular in the past few years. By feeding into people’s desire for innovative food at a faster pace, pop-up restaurants make it easier to excite the public (and social media feeds) with their temporary nature, while also providing diners with unique dishes. Pop-up restaurants will likely include or even be centered around comfort classics as well as vegan and plant-based menus. 

Foods on the Rise: 

Upside Foods’ Chicken (Source: Meat + Poultry)

The food predictions for this year reflect many of the same trends foreseen for the restaurant world. 

You may have heard of Beyond Meat and the plant-based egg, but soon these will be joined by additional alternatives to traditional animal products as companies respond to consumers’ desires to protect animals and decrease their environmental impact. According to The New York Times, Lab-grown meat products in particular are on the rise. For example, the food company UPSIDE Foods is working on growing meat products, such as chicken, from animal cells. This product looks the same and can be prepared in the same way as a real chicken, and the company is likely to receive federal approval by the end of this year. In addition, just like restaurants, food companies are moving towards creating more plant-based products. Though they may not be as innovative as lab-grown meat, it’s likely that you’ll see more products with a focus on vegetables and other natural ingredients in grocery stores this year. 

Source: Pan’s Mushroom Jerky

Speaking of natural ingredients, the prevailing food of the year, according to a number of publications such as The New York Times and Specialty Food Magazine, will be mushrooms! From cremini to shiitake to chanterelle, mushrooms are popping up everywhere, including the places you least expect. Contributing to the plant-based movement, mushrooms have become vegan substitutes for a variety of dishes. Portobello mushrooms serve as the patty in burgers, and king oyster mushrooms have been adapted into a plant-based version of scallops. Mushrooms have also been ground up and added to beverages such as tea, coffee, and smoothies. Looking to make some shroom in your meals for these fungi? Try Nature’s Fynd. It’s a Chicago-based brand that is creating meatless, dairy-free products out of a fungi-based protein called Fy. 

Nature’s Fynd (Source: TechCrunch)

Of course, no 2022 food prediction list would be complete without including some snacks. In a similar pattern to the changes seen in the restaurant world, snacks will continue to be an integral part of eating habits because they’re quick and easy. Additionally, many predictions see an emphasis on nostalgic snacks, in particular in the candy category. The past couple years have also seen the rise in popularity of international snacks in American grocery stores. 

With new TV series and movies sharing foods and snacks that are popular in other countries, it will not only become more popular to see international snacks in grocery stores, but people will also try to create or share recipes that reflect what they see in popular media, such as the honeycomb candy from Squid Game. This trend also extends to replicating memorable foods from shows and movies in general, as there are already many publications, blogs, and YouTube videos dedicated to tasting and recreating “onscreen foods.” 

Squid Game’s Dalgona honeycomb toffee (Source: BBC)

Finally, what would life be without a little spice? The food world of 2022 agrees. Spices of all varieties will continue to heat up recipes, adding nuance to familiar comfort foods and well-known dishes. According to Carol England, another chef quoted in the Forbes article and the Culinary Development Manager at Hello Fresh, “[People] who can handle the heat will be stocking up on spicy foods like hot sauces, hot honeys and chili crisps, seasonings like Tajin or gochujang and flaming hot snacks.” One exciting example from The New York Times is the prediction for the newest combination, “swicy.” You may know the delicious combination of sweet and salty well, but “swicy” (sweet and spicy) and even “swalty” (sweet and salty) (two very fun words to say) take flavor to a whole new level by adding spice into the mix. 

A “swicy” flavor combination (Source: Insider)

All in all, 2022 is shaping up to be a pretty exciting year of food trends. As people tend to lean more into quick, easy, and environmentally-friendly foods, chefs and restaurants will work to support this atmosphere while also pushing the boundaries of familiar meals and flavors. Whatever trends end up prevailing, let’s hope it’s one swicy, swalty year.